Though these words on my lips aren't my own
by spoodle monkey
Summary: JohnnyBen sequel to I'm still breathing. Everything is changing and he's struggling to keep up.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.

A/N- sooo this is what happens when you end up depressed for a couple of months...you stop writing. BUT I'm back! And I've brought Johnny/Ben as a present! ...with a side order or craziness and Loki (because I've recently discovered my love for him...though this one is based loosely on movie!Loki...sooo we shall see.) Anyways! I'm not sure how long this one will be...and the pairings will reveal themselves (to me...) as the story continues soooo as for part one- I hope you enjoy!

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><p>"Jonathan Storm."<p>

Johnny jerks awake, eyes flying open and muscles tensing. He bolts out of the bed, tripping over the covers in his haste, fists held up as his heart pounds in his chest.

Loki, for his part, continues to sit in an old, wicker chair that was most definitely not there the previous night, with an air of calm nonchalance.

"What?" He gapes, dimly aware that he must resemble a fish to the god as he tries to wrap his head around what he is doing there.

"Jonathan Storm," Loki repeats and Johnny swears he sees him role his eyes before the god pushes himself to his feet and Johnny's brain finally catches up with the situation. "I have,"

"Ben!" He yells and then, "Flame on!"

He bursts into flames but there is no one there.

Heavy footsteps come pounding down the hall before the door slides open and Ben appears there, looking rocky and menacing. Wide blue eyes dart around the room, taking stock of its sole occupant and general lack of destruction or mayhem.

"Johnny?" Ben asks, still wary. Nothing is out of place; the wicker chair and Loki are gone. Johnny flames off, heart still pounding, and confused.

Across the room Ben lets out a strangled sound and Johnny looks over in alarm. The other man is watching him with wide eyes, the blue there a darker shade than normal. He watches as Ben's rocky skin flickers and shifts until he's flesh and bones again, leaving him bare-chested and in his tight fantastic four pants. And staring at Johnny.

He looks down at himself and blushes. It appears that his boxers haven't survived his flame- he'll have to speak to Reed about that, lately whatever chemical his brother in law has been using so that Johnny's clothes _don't_ get torched hasn't been as reliable as before. He's losing too many articles of clothing to allow it to continue.

Ben clears his throat; face tinted pink and tears his eyes away, gaze bouncing around the room. Johnny stands there, torn between grabbing the sheets and creating a toga to save whatever dignity he has left or to take advantage of the situation and go with it. There's something about the way Ben's blush spreads down his neck to his chest and Johnny _really_ wants to see how far it can travel. Ultimately the choice is made for him.

"Johnny? Ben?" Footsteps, lighter than Ben's heavy tread, come running down the hall and he has just enough time to grab the sheet off the bed and wrap it around his waist before his sister comes running into the room. "Is everything ok- what?" She freezes inside the door mouth falling open in a look of surprise that Johnny is fairly certain he was sporting not that long ago. Then the surprise is replaced with a sly look and she rolls her eyes. "Guys, its not that I don't love you both, but I don't actually want to know about your sex life. Ever."

Ben blinks and looks helplessly around the room.

"I thought the kid was in trouble."

"Johnny?" Sue quirks an eyebrow and plants her hands on her hips and Johnny cringes at the parental act. "Do I even want to know what's going on?"

"Loki!" Johnny grips the sheet with one hand and gestures with the other.

"Loki?" Ben repeats, watching the space that Johnny is gesturing at as though the aforementioned god of mischief will suddenly appear there.

"He was here! That's why I called you."

"Loki." Sue repeats slowly. "Was in here?" Johnny nods a little desperately. "Well, what was he doing here? He's only been interested in the Avengers recently."

"I think," Johnny begins, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. "That he wanted to talk to me." Now that he looks back at it, its not like the guy had made any menacing moves, or had started to monolog like Doom loved to do.

"What would Loki want with you?" Sue asks and Ben crosses the room, resting a heavy, warm hand on Johnny's bare shoulder. He leans into the touch and shrugs, careful not to dislodge Ben's hand. "We could always ask Thor if he knows what Loki is up to." But Sue is frowning as she says this and somehow Johnny doesn't think that Thor will have any idea what's going on.

Johnny blinks, as what he is almost certain is light laughter echoes through the room. He looks to Ben but the other man just squeezes his shoulder showing no sign of having heard it too. He writes it off as needing more sleep.

"We can ask. I was going to call Reed today anyways so I'll let him know then." A warm smile flits across Sue's face at the thought of her husband (even if he is currently halfway around the world with Tony Stark and Hank McCoy).

She turns and leaves them standing in the room.

"So," Johnny starts, hand flexing on the sheet, itching to just let it go and see what Ben will do now that they're alone.

"I'll lend you a pair of shorts Matchstick." Ben grins and kisses him quick, hand sliding down his chest to rest on his hip. Johnny groans and tries to deepen the kiss, to keep it going but Ben pulls back, squeezes his hip once and crosses the room to dig through the dresser drawers there. Johnny stands there for another moment, flushed and dazed and _most definitely not_ pouting.

"Here." Ben tosses a pair of shorts and a shirt, enough for Johnny to make the walk back to his own room to pick up some clothes. He catches them, drops the sheet (purely accidental _of course_) and pulls the clothes on. He pulls the drawstring tight on the shorts but they still ride low on his hips and the shirt hangs down and probably looks ridiculous on him but there's just _something_ about the size difference that makes him more than happy to wear Ben's clothes. And if the look he gets as he leaves the room is anything to go by, Ben's just as happy as he is.

DI

Reed can't think of any viable reason why Loki would want to talk to Johnny, or really _any_ of the Fantastic Four really and while Thor _is_ in the city, covering for Tony while he's away, the god of thunder is impossible to get a hold of, for varying reasons. Sue has come back from trying to get a hold of him with anything from Thor's off fighting giant rats with the Avengers, to there's something wrong with the cell/phone service around Stark Tower and my phone was just fried.

Johnny's not a genius but even he can tell there's something _weird_ about that.

"Matchstick, you're the one that wanted to see this movie. If you're that bored we can go."

Johnny jerks, startled, and looks around at the dark theatre.

"What?" He blinks and squints up at the screen. He hasn't seen this movie before but it looks like they're much, _much_ farther than when he had last checked.

Ben frowns and pulls his arm from its perch around Johnny's shoulders. Johnny mourns its loss and the warmth it was providing in the cool room.

"You okay?" Ben asks quietly.

"Yeah." Johnny assures him quickly. "Just a little…distracted." They're in the back row of the theatre, there are only a handful of other people there and Ben's skin is soft and smooth instead of rocky. They blend in, no ones paying them any attention. "But," he pitches his voice quieter and smirks, feeling daring. "I can think of an even better distraction."

Ben lets out a startled laugh but there's something pleased and smug to it. He leans in and Johnny tilts his head, eyes fluttering shut and-

Their communicators go off in their pockets even as the ground starts shaking and the movie flickers on its screen.

"Terrible timing." Johnny let's his head fall forwards onto Ben's shoulder even as the other man answers his communicator. "I officially hate Reed for making these things." He digs out his own but doesn't answer it as Ben talks to Sue.

"We're on our way." Ben promises. People further ahead in the audience, turn towards them, half panicking as the pair stand.

Ben grabs Johnny's hand and together they dash from the room, to cries of '_it's the human torch and the thing'_.

A plus side to Ben being able to change back and forth, Johnny decides as he flames on, grabs Ben's hands and lifts up into the sky, is that Ben is certainly lighter this way.

"Where to?" He calls out. There are no visible signs of destruction, just all of the car alarms in New York going off at the same time from the sudden earthquake.

"Towards the water."

Water, he thinks grimacing, it's always water.

DI

Sue is already there, squaring off against a _very angry_ looking King of Atlantis. He frowns in confusion at the scene below. Last he had checked they were at peace with Atlantis. But the pier is in disarray; cracked slabs of pavement and a half collapsed warehouse nearby are all scenes of a violent fight. A few onlookers remain cautiously cheering and taking photos. As they approach Sue and Namor get closer, and even from here Johnny can tell they're screaming at each other. Namor raises his fist and Sue lifts her hands and Johnny's not going to be fast enough to stop them. His sister looks _furious_. Ben grows heavy in his hands and Johnny lets go, lets Ben fall the short distance, landing a few feet away from Sue and Namor.

The ground shakes and the concrete dents with the force of his landing and Sue, Namor and several onlookers all get knocked off their feet and Ben, made of rock again, steps forwards. He hauls Namor up by the collar of his shirt and Johnny gets in front of Sue.

"Insolent children!" Namor yells and swings at Ben. He keeps his grip on Namor and together they go tumbling backwards across the pier.

"What's going on?" Johnny turns to Sue.

The breath is knocked out of him a second later as something he cannot see hits him. He goes flying backwards, hitting the water _hard_. His flame goes out and it's like a shock to the system. Water fills his lungs as he tries to draw in air and the edges of his vision are greying as he sinks deeper into the water. He can't think, can't move and is only dimly aware that he's in trouble. But the thought is far off and doesn't register as anything more than a minor annoyance.

His lungs are burning, mouth full of polluted, salty water and his eyes start to slip closed.

And then there's hard pavement under his back and air and he's rolling onto his side coughing up water. His body shakes as he hacks and coughs and draws air into his starving lungs as confusion flushes through him.

Water drips down his face, his blonde hair plastered to his forehead and he opens his eyes, blinks back droplets and past the greying edges of his vision and for a moment sees green eyes peering down at him and familiar pale, pointed features. Loki stares down at him and Johnny cannot read the look on his face. And then he blinks and it's like he was never there.

"Johnny!" He flinches as the hand curls around his bicep but the anger from before that had marred Sue's features is gone replaced with worry and guilt. "I'm so sorry- I don't know what came over me! Are you alright?"

Johnny sucks in a breath and it comes out as a cough, but he waves off her worry. Sue helps him sit up, supporting him as he rests, half bent over and head down, her hand rubbing soothing patterns on his back. He sneezes, hard, and it makes his head spin. Great, he thinks idly, just what he needs- to make the cold he's been fighting on and off, worse.

"Hey." One rocky finger tilts his head up and Johnny blinks up into the afternoon sun. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just," _was saved by one of the Avengers enemies_. And if he had just imagined that? He was going to look insane. Namor stands nearby, watching them, and while there is no guilt, his anger has disappeared as well. "What was that fight about?" He asks, knowing that it could make things worse, but curiosity getting the better of him.

Ben lets his hand drop and turns to Sue and Namor with the same open curiosity.

"We," Sue starts and exchanges a confused look with the Atlantean.

"I thought the surface world…" Namor trails off and confusion flickers across his features. "I was remembering an event a long time ago." He finally decides on, but even then looks unsure.

"I came to talk to Namor, find out why he was here, and…" Sue frowns and flushes. "And he insulted Reed. And the two of you." She winces at that and Johnny stares openly because neither of them seems to have a solid reason for the fury that has destroyed a large section of the pier.

Johnny sneezes again, body shaking with the force of it and Sue frowns harder.

"We should get you home. We can figure this all out there." Sue stands and offers a hand to him. He lets her pull him to his feet and then lets go and tries to flame on, if only to dry himself faster. He _hates_ being wet. His skin warms a bit but he's too waterlogged and he's starting to feel the chill in the breeze coming off of the ocean.

"Here." Sue lifts the three of them up with her force field and turns to Namor. "I suspect you won't be coming with us?"

"No." He answers, curtly. He pauses and inclines his head to Ben. "Thank you for making me see sense."

Ben shrugs and waves it off but there's surprise in his blue eyes at the acknowledgement. He reaches out and wraps a large, rocky arm around Johnny's waist and Sue takes them home.

DI

They're no closer to figuring out what happened down at the pier and Reed is no help. They manage to reach him for a few minutes, but he's clearly distracted and doesn't think that it's any cause for alarm and then he has to go but he misses them all and he'll be home soon.

Johnny knows Reed said he was going to Tokyo with Tony and Hank, but he's starting to suspect that they're some place else entirely.

So Johnny heads to bed. He's tired and feeling run down and is still slightly chilled from his dip into the water. He hugs his sister and kisses Ben on the forehead as he sits on the couch, bent over some papers of some sort that quickly get shuffled out of the way.

"I'm going to sleep in my room tonight." Johnny says through a yawn. Ben gets a strange look on his face and Johnny must be getting worse at reading people because he has no idea what Ben is thinking at the moment.

"You sure?" Ben asks, voice gruff with concern.

"Yeah, I'm just beat." Johnny stretches to demonstrate this and then grins, sly and mischievous. "But maybe tomorrow night we can finally,"

"And I'm leaving the room." Sue announces loudly and makes a run for it. Johnny laughs and watches her go. He figures he'll pay for it later, but in the meantime messing with his sister is just too easy to pass up. Ben rolls his eyes and pulls him in again for another kiss, this one longer and deeper. Johnny is seriously reconsidering his decision when they finally pull apart.

"Goodnight." Ben says with a smirk and watches Johnny walk out of the room in a daze.

Johnny strips down, throws a large, worn t-shirt (that he suspects is Ben's) over his boxers and curls up under the covers. It feels great as his muscles all relax and he starts to warm up with the added blanket to his bed.

"Jonathan Storm I wish to speak with you."

"What the hell?" He bolts upright in bed, hands gripping the sheets and seconds away from flaming on. Johnny blinks and squints and watches as Loki walks out of the shadows and into the light filtering in through the windows. Johnny is certain that he wasn't there when he first came in.

"You're sleeping in your own quarters tonight," Loki holds his hands clasped behind his back in a way similar to how Johnny's seen Cap do it time and again. "Did you and Grimm fight?"

"What?" Johnny blinks and frowns and tries to catch up with the conversation and to the point where he starts demanding what Loki _wants_. "No, I- what are you doing here?"

"You Midgardians love to fight," Loki continues, mostly to himself and ignores Johnny's question. "So much like my brother in that simple minded way."

"Hey!" Johnny says because he's pretty sure he's just been insulted. And then, "Ben and I didn't fight. I have my own room and sometimes I like to use it." Not often though, not anymore.

"I see." Loki says and crosses to the door to Johnny's room. Johnny watches, brain catching up with his body and he lunges to his feet but Loki has pulled the door open and the hallway of the Baxter building is not what appears on the other side. Cold wind whips into the room, sweeping up papers and ruffling the curtains and Loki steps through into the snow filled world, pulling the door closed behind him, as Johnny stands there, frozen.

A few snowflakes melt on the carpet and a chill lingers in the room and Johnny turns back to his bed and climbs under the covers and decides to deal with all of this in the morning.

DI

"Hey!" Johnny turns up his flame and breathes a sigh of relief as part of the crowd finally backs off. There's screaming and yelling all around and the crowd surges against one another.

A riot had broken out downtown and they had rushed over to see if they could help. The thing was, which Sue kept repeating, was that there isn't any _reason_ for the riot. The sound of breaking glass fills the air, as another storefront window is broken. Johnny turns up his flame before a glass bottle can hit him, melting it and then using it to keep a group of middle-aged women from scratching each other's eyes out.

He can't see Ben through all the chaos, can't spot his sister, but he can make out the familiar red, white and blue as Captain America makes his way through the crowd.

"Any idea what started this?" Johnny calls out. Cap uses his shield to push back a particularly violent man. His mouth is set in a deep frown and he looks as helpless as Johnny feels.

"None." A piece of metal bounces off his shield. Spiderman swings by overhead, webbing the people that need to be restrained. "Peter and Hank Pym are running some tests but," he looks over at Johnny and he blinks at myriad of emotions shifting across the other heroes face. "It would be easier with Tony here."

Johnny wonders what it would have been like had Reed invited Ben to go along with them for an undisclosed amount of time. And no matter what his brother in law has said, he doesn't believe that Tokyo is where they actually are at the moment. He wonders how Sue and Cap deal with it.

An elderly woman gets too close to his flame and he lifts into the air, panic seizing him as she just misses burning herself. It's getting out of control and they're no closer to calming everyone down. He spots Sue, rising up on her force field and trying to placate the half crazed people below. But there's so much rage and it actually scares him a bit how all these people can turn on one another so easily.

Lightning streaks across a suddenly grey sky and hits the pavement. It's like a shock wave as the crowd falls like puppets whose strings have been cut abruptly. Johnny feels the shock eight feet in the air, like static electricity coming off a sweater or a balloon. Down below Cap pushes himself to his feet, shaking his head as though to clear it.

"Are you alright?" Johnny calls out.

"I'm fine." He calls back, shading his eyes as the sun re-emerges and the clouds clear. Thor lands down the street. They go about checking to make sure everyone is all right, getting those who aren't to either the ambulances or the hospital a few blocks away. Its slow work and takes the rest of the day. They make it back to the Baxter building, exhausted and no closer to figuring out why two hundred people essentially went mad with rage.

Johnny remembers belatedly that he'd been meaning to talk to Thor about Loki, hoping he could shine some light on the situation, as he half collapses onto the couch. Ben grunts as Johnny's collapse ends with him half on top of Ben and too comfortable to move even when the other man starts prodding his side to get him to shift over a bit.

"Maybe it was Doom?" Sue suggests, pushing her hair back out of her face and settling onto the other couch.

"His mere presence is enough to drive people crazy." Ben muses. Johnny grunts in agreement from where his head is pillowed on Ben's chest. His head rises and falls with each breath Ben takes and it's not long before he finds himself drifting off to the soothing rhythm.

"You look terrible."

Johnny cracks an eye open and glares over at his sister. Ben shifts underneath him, jostling him.

"She's right, kid." He agrees and Johnny can feel the vibrations under his cheek. "You should get some sleep."

Frankly, Johnny is too tired to even attempt to argue otherwise and lets himself be shuffled and adjusted until Ben has an arm around his waist and they're both standing. They say their goodnights and he lets himself be led down the hall.

They end up at Ben's room, the closer of the two rooms and he lets himself be stripped down and tucked in. Ben climbs in next to him and, after a moment of hesitation, slides over and wraps a strong arm around Johnny's waist, tugging him backwards until his back is flush against Ben's chest.

"Kid," Ben starts and then hesitates and Johnny makes a noise, prompting him to continue. "I gotta ask ya something."

Johnny twists a little and squints through the dim lighting provided by a crack in the curtains. But all he can see are the shadows cast across Ben's face.

"What is it?" Johnny asks, voice thick and heavy with exhaustion.

Ben sighs and presses a soft kiss to his temple, tightening his hold a little; like if he were to loosen it at all Johnny would slip away.

"It can wait 'till morning." Ben whispers and Johnny nods, settling back into the embrace and letting sleep wash over him.

DI

Johnny stumbles out of bed half awake and with a pounding in his head that almost rivals some of his more exciting nights in college. He grabs a pair of his jeans from a pile across the room; ones that he has forgotten to take back to his own room (on purpose) and tugs them on. Blindly, he finds one of Ben's long sleeved shirts, soft and worn with age and slides it on. It chases away the chill in the room and alleviates his headache enough so that he can focus on the raised voices outside the door.

Ben grunts and sits up in bed, rubbing at his eyes.

"What's going on?" He asks, voice husky with sleep and Johnny valiantly resists the urge to climb back into bed.

"Don't know." Johnny murmurs and crosses to the door. "I'll check it out."

The door slides open and suddenly all eyes are on him. The Young Avengers and Sue stare at him and Johnny self consciously reaches a hand up to smooth down what must be _the worst_ bed head ever.

"Johnny, are you feeling all right?" Sue asks, frowning.

Johnny shrugs because, yeah he has a headache, but that's already feeling much better and will probably feel great once he makes it to the Sue's medicine cabinet and gets some of her stronger pain meds (that she doesn't think they know about considering its for _that time of the month_).

"What's going on?" He asks instead. There's some muffled noises coming from behind him and then Ben's arm is wrapping around his shoulders and he leans into the warmth.

"It's Tommy." Eli gestures to the teenager leaning heavily against his side. The leader of the Young Avengers has his arm around the slim teenagers waist, all but holding him up.

"Tommy?" Sue steps forwards, trying to get the boy in questions attention. Tommy blinks sluggishly and half lifts his head. There's a fine sheen of sweat on his pale face and it's like his gaze can't quite focus on anything in front of him.

"When did this start?" She asks, frowning.

"We don't know." Billy rests a hand on his twin's shoulder, worry and fear stretched out across his features. "He's been getting slower for awhile now, but it got really bad last night, after that riot."

"Okay, we'll get him up to the lab, run some tests and see what's wrong." Sue smiles reassuringly and lifts Tommy up with her force field, and making it into a make shift gurney. She leads the way towards the elevator, Billy and Eli right behind her, worried gazes on the teenager that appears to be seemingly floating down the hall.

"We couldn't take him to a hospital." Cassie says somewhat helplessly. "Not when it was his power being affected."

"You came to the right place." Ben says.

"I didn't see Mr Fantastic anywhere." Kate frowns and Teddy shoots her a look. "So it's true he's still not back in New York?"

"Suzie is just as capable as Reed is." Ben says firmly and starts herding them down the hall after their respective teammates. "Don't you worry, we'll get this figured out."

But if the look on her face is anything to go by, she certainly isn't reassured.

DI

Johnny's phone buzzes in his pocket about halfway through the first set of tests Sue is running on Tommy. He ignores it and goes back to trying to help his sister (even if he has no idea what most of the stuff in the lab is for). A minute later it buzzes again, and then again almost immediately after.

So he digs his phone out of his pocket and opens the first text message.

_Got a small problem. Meet me at apartment. _

The message is from Peter. As are the other two, which reads; _not a small problem! Not a small problem! _And _bring Ben just in case._

Johnny frowns, worried and confused and hands his phone over to Ben to read.

It could just be Peter overreacting…but somehow Johnny isn't convinced he's that lucky.

So he tells Sue briefly where they're going, grabs Ben by the hands and takes off from the roof. They have to land two blocks away and sneak in through a back alley, with Johnny leading the way, as Ben has never been there before. Johnny keeps his head down and sends up a silent prayer to the paparazzi gods that he and Ben don't get spotted going into Peter Parkers apartment.

Last he checked Peter was still dead set against coming out.

Peter opens the door and all but yanks Johnny and Ben into the apartment and Johnny keeps forgetting how _strong_ his friend really is.

Peter's apartment is a tiny two bedroom, the second bedroom filled with textbooks and old chemistry sets and miscellaneous things that Johnny has never seen before. But the place is clean and well kept and has an air of being _lived in_. He suspects Aunt May has something to do with this. Ben peers around, taking it all in with a curious look on his face, like he's trying to memorize details.

And in the center of the apartment, webbed securely to a chair, is a rather angry looking man. His red hair is in disarray and sunglasses sit on his nose, though the bridge is taped hastily. The webbing goes from his neck all the way down to his ankles, engulfing both him and the chair and Johnny has to wonder what the overkill was for. But he can feel the weight of the man's glare on him from across the room and decides that overkill was definitely called for. There is also a splotch of webbing over the man's mouth.

"Finally!" Peter isn't wearing his mask and Ben shoots Johnny a look at this but Johnny just shrugs because it's not like Ben doesn't know who Peter is anyways. And by now the guy in the chair must know it too. "I was beginning to think you hadn't gotten my text or were busy doing other things and honestly I have no idea what to do, I mean its one thing when it's a crowd of people but this is Matty and," he winces and stops talking abruptly, takes a deep breath and turns to face the other men in the room.

"So," Ben says slowly, eyes a little wide from Peters rant. "What you're saying is that Matty," Peter winces and Johnny tries to place where he knows the name from. "Started acting like all those crazy people."

"Yes!" Peter grins, apparently pleased that someone has managed to sort out his thoughts. "We were playing x-box and Matt cheats or something because no way he's that good when he can't even _see_ the screen and the next thing I know he's trying to strangle me with the television cords!"

Johnny blinks because if this were just some normal person that suddenly went mad with rage all the webbing really would be overkill and Peter would be taking them to the hospital and _not_ calling Johnny and Ben over in a panic. And really, who does Peter spend insane amounts of time with aside from Johnny? _Oh_.

"Is that _Daredevil_ stuck to your kitchen chair?" Johnny asks incredulously and _Matty_ starts making furious mumbling noises at him. He takes a step back reflexively and bumps into Ben. Ben steadies him with a hand on his shoulder, eyeing the furious hero warily.

"No!" Peter denies, shooting quick furtive looks between them. "No?" He tries again at the disbelieving stares. "He's going to kill me!" Peter finally settles on, wailing dramatically and covering his face with his hands. Johnny has to admit from the way Daredevil is straining against the webbing, mumbling raising in volume and glasses slipping from his nose, that that would seem an accurate prediction.

"He'll snap out of it." Johnny goes for comforting and falls a little flat. "Everyone else did eventually." After that, well they'd just have to see how a calm Daredevil felt about being out-ed to half of the Fantastic Four.

"Maybe we should bring him back to the Baxter building." Ben suggests hesitantly.

The horrified expression on Peter's face is almost funny to watch. "Or we can wait it out here." Ben adds quickly.

Ben and Peter settle in with a video game and Matt quiets down again though he's still glaring at them, which is rather disconcerting. Johnny slips into the washroom.

He's washing his hands when he looks up to find another set of eyes staring back at him. Johnny lets out a startled yell, jumping back from the sink and hitting the opposite wall in the tiny washroom. Loki blinks, his lips twisting up into a smirk that looks much too menacing for anyone's good and is gone like he was never there at all. Johnny is left staring at his own, too pale appearance, blue eyes wide with shock.

"Johnny?" Ben knocks on the door. "Johnny, you okay? Kid?"

"I'm fine." He manages to call back, turning off the sink and drying his hands before he opens the door.

Ben frowns at him, blocking his way into the main room.

"It was Loki again." Johnny says quietly, looking everywhere but at Ben, who reaches out and squeezes his elbow gently.

"We'll talk at home." Ben promises.

"Hey guys?" Peter interrupts from where he's seated cross-legged in front of the television, video game exchanged for the news. Johnny's phone buzzes repeatedly in his pocket and he frowns because that is much more than one text message. "You really need to see this."

"_Billionaire Tony Stark, also known to the world as Iron Man, was admitted into a hospital in the south of France a little after four this afternoon under a false name. Sources say that what originally appeared to be a severe migraine for the hero has progressed much further. Doctors say that Stark slipped into a coma shortly after being admitted and is _not_ responding to treatment…_"

"What?" Johnny gapes at the television as the news anchor continues to repeat the same information.

"We gotta get a hold of Reed." Ben says gruffly.

"Shit." Peter says quietly, eyes wide and still staring at the blurry video someone has managed to get of the outside of Tony's hospital room. "Who's going to tell Cap?"

If the amount of messages Johnny has received is anything to go by, he either already knows or is going to know soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Wow, this has been sitting on my computer for wayyy to long- but I finally added more!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.

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><p>Johnny has to turn his phone off on the way back to the Baxter building. It rings non-stop, vibrating angrily in his hand as he receives message after message, like <em>he<em> knows what's going on. He nearly melts it before Ben gently tugs it out of his hand, powering it down. Pete has them leave first, sneaking out the fire escape. He promises to meet them at the building as soon as he can. Matt Murdock scowls after them.  
>"How're you going to get him to the Baxter building?" Johnny asks, as he's half out of the window.<br>"I'll figure something out." Peter aims for a reassuring smile but it falls flat. He glances back at the man stuck to his kitchen chair and grimaces. "We'll get there."

"Sue?" Johnny asks into the communicator.

"Reeds on his way home." She replies, tense, worried.

Johnny nods though she can't see him and they head straight for the infirmary.

Sue's already there when they get in, Tommy Sheppard on a bed in the far corner and looking somewhat better, magazine open on his lap but curious gaze following them as they move about the room. She moves equipment around, creating a space around one of the main beds, surrounding the head of the bed with machines Johnny vaguely recognizes.

"Tony's coming here then?" Sue nods, confirming what he already knew.

"They should be here within the hour."

"What happened?" Ben asks, frowning. "Some kind of attack?"

"We're not ruling it out." She says. "But Reed doesn't think it is."

"So we just hang out here until they show up?" Johnny dodges out of the way as another machine slots into place, ready to settle in but Sue shakes her head, stepping back from the array she's set up.

"Ben's going to stay here and wait. Tony's stable as far as Reed can tell, everything is set up and Ben can help out if needed. We," She gestures at Johnny and then herself. "Are headed to Westchester."

"Professor Xavier's school?" Johnny guesses.

"I was about to head there when Reed called. A few of their students and staff are sick and they've asked for our help."

"A few kids have the sniffles and they're calling us in?" Ben asks, sceptically. Johnny kind of shares their scepticism; they have bigger problems than the flu.

"It's a little more serious than that." Sue shoots them both a look and heads for the doors of the infirmary. "I'm grabbing my bag, I'll meet you in the garage in five minutes."

Johnny turns back to Ben, fingers curling around the phone in his pocket and tugging it out. There are over thirty un read messages from heroes, unknown numbers, people he's known over the years and given his number to for some reason or another and one sole one from Jarvis. He actually opens that one to find three paragraphs asking that someone please phone as soon as possible.

There are none from Cap but then again he isn't sure how the lessons in instant messaging have been going and Johnny would be surprised if the man didn't just show up in person.

"There's always some crisis, isn't there?" Ben asks and even though he knows the question is rhetorical, he nods.

"Jarvis wants someone to call him and Cap will probably be here soon," he scrubs a hand through his hair- it falls into his eyes and he makes a mental note to get it cut soon, but Ben gently brushes the errant strands out of the way so maybe it isn't so bad- and sighs because Pete is on his way with Daredevil and it's never just _one thing_ with their lives, is it?

"And if Daredevil is still trying to kill everyone we'll have to restrain him or lock him up or,"

"Hey," Ben interrupts him, pulling him closer. Over Ben's shoulder, Tommy pretends to be studying his magazine intently. "Breathe- you're starting to sound like Suzie."

"I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that." He replies, wry, but leans into the embrace easily. Something warm and content blossoms in his chest, a feeling he's come to associate solely with Ben. "You probably shouldn't let her hear you say that though…"

Ben chuckles and Johnny goes to step back, to head downstairs, but Ben sobers suddenly, holding on and looking suddenly hesitant. Johnny's stomach twists at the look and he frowns, sensing that something is wrong, just not sure _what._

"Ben," he starts but Ben talks over him, gaze suddenly intent.

"You're gonna stay in my room tonight, right?"

Johnny flushes and wonders if they're about to have _that _talk in front of a seventeen-year-old boy because he is _totally_ on board for that talk and what hopefully follows after but he'd rather avoid giving Tommy Sheppard any of the details.

"Yeah, if you want me to." He grins, wide and toothy and Ben blinks and flushes a little and Johnny honestly just wants to kiss him, press him up against the infirmary bed and kiss him until he's breathless but, _Tommy Sheppard_. Right.

He's trying not to scar the younger generations.

Too much.

"Yeah, I do matchstick." Ben mutters, voice gruff, like when he's the Thing and finally releases Johnny, who doesn't move. Not yet. "Cause there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Johnny smirks and Ben rolls his eyes, shoving his shoulder lightly.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, torch."

Johnny just grins even wider, and then ruins it by sneezing. And then sneezing again. And again- and by the time he's done, Ben is laughing at him and Tommy has given up on pretending he's reading his magazine and is now blatantly staring at them.

"No sympathy from anyone." Johnny pouts.

"You're the one that's always bragging about how you can't get sick." Ben points out, and Johnny has the sudden, intense urge to trace his laugh lines. They rarely get to see them.

"Karma." Tommy helpfully supplies and Johnny points a finger at him, saying,

"You don't get a say in this. Weren't you moving in slow motion last night?"

Tommy smirks and flaps his arms a little.

"Feeling a bit better."

"Of course." Johnny turns and heads for the door, waving over his shoulder. "I'll call you when we're done. Hopefully Sue's over exaggerating again and we'll give them flu shots and be home for dinner."

Ben waves and Tommy blows him kisses and Johnny slips into the elevator, already planning on posting pictures of Tommy sleeping with a giant teddy bear on every Young Avenger fan site he can find later.

::

He grabs a coat from his room, deciding that if he's going to have this cold, he's not going to suffer through it, so he's fighting the ridiculous chill he's developed and jumps back in the elevator for the basement.

Turns out it's occupied.

"Hello."

Johnny stares and stares and then opens his mouth to yell or alert HERBIE or _something_, but then Loki arches one delicate eyebrow at him, pleasant smile slipping into something darker, and Johnny reconsiders.

"Are you getting in?" The Norse god asks, with the same air of calmness that has Johnny's skin crawling and he thinks, _what the hell_, because the only way he's going to get answers about his _stalker_ is probably to ask said stalker in person. God. Whatever.

So Johnny gets into the elevator, ignoring how idiotic his plan is and how much his sister and Ben are going to kill him (because lets be honest, Reed is more likely to be fascinated by it all) and watches as the doors slide shut.

"So…" He decides to bypass the awkward silence and vague posturing/threats for the most part because he has no doubts that by the time the elevator reaches the parking garage, Loki will be long gone. "Is there a reason you're stalking me?"

He doesn't really expect an answer so it surprises him when Loki answers with,

"Yes."

He isn't disappointed a moment later when Loki continues (and blatantly changes the subject) with,

"You've been trying to contact Thor."

Johnny _knew_ something had been weird with their inability to get a hold of Thor when he was in New York. They'd gotten a hold of the _Inhuman's_ and they'd been in another _galaxy_. New York should not have posed such a problem.

"Yeah," Johnny draws out the word and puts on a false bravado he doesn't feel. "Just wondering if he knew you were in town. Or, you know. Just why his brother would be _stalking me_."

Loki appears amused at this, perfectly elegant even as he leans back against the elevator wall across from Johnny. He studies him for a moment, corners of his lips quirking up before he finally says,

"You fear me."

More than a little. But he'll be damned if he ever admits to it.

"Dude," Johnny mimics his pose, leaning back, arms crossed but with far less elegance. At the very least, he consoles himself with looking infinitely cooler in his uniform and jacket. "I've gone up against _Galactus_. I've fought a guy who can control the elements. I've faced Doom and invading aliens and things from other dimensions that smelt worse than Ben's shoes after a long day of running around the city; you are a guy who lurks in my room and probably watches me get changed- which my boyfriend isn't very impressed with by the way and I'm the only one that's allowed to rile him up -so if I were to make up a list, right now of all the scary things that keep me up at night, you would be at the _very _bottom. Under lemons."

Loki continues to stare at him, amusement never slipping and Johnny spends his entire speech expecting for the amusement to fade into anger and irritation because, Loki? Never used to take being mocked well. So he's slightly winded by the end of his speech and Loki just _smiles_ and says,

"You amuse me."

Johnny gapes at him.

"_That's_ why you've been stalking me?"

"No," Loki says and just as Johnny realizes this elevator ride has gone on far too long, they come to a stop, the doors slide open and Loki disappears before his eyes.

The garage is empty when he exits the elevator, Sue having not made it down yet, and he gratefully sinks down onto the bumper of one of his cars, back bent, head between his knees and he doesn't care if Loki is in the shadows watching him, because he's too focused on breathing and _not_ freaking out.

He figures he's doing somewhat okay, considering.

::

"They have at least three positive cases and another possible two but they're all showing different symptoms," Sue explains as she weaves her way through traffic. The amount of cars on the road start to thin out and the looming buildings of down town are left behind and replaced with trees and quaint houses. Johnny watches it all go by in silence, the wind ruffling his hair and sunglasses shading his eyes from the glare of the sun.

"- so we're not positive it's the same sickness but it'd be a hell of a coincidence otherwise. Which is why we're headed up there now. We'll take some tests, compare data and see if there's anything we can do to help,"

He rests his elbow on the door, propping his head up, heavy under the sun and watches as even the houses thin out and disappear as Sue handles the convertible. The road grows less smooth the further they are from downtown and eventually resolves itself into first potholes and then something like gravel. In the distance he can see the looming shape of Xavier's mansion and he watches as it grows larger the closer they come. It looks perfectly normal from there and nothing like the controversial school for mutants.

"-or if there's a risk of the sickness spreading to the general population or even lions and tigers and bears."

"Oh my." Johnny replies and Sue grins at him, taking her eyes off the road for a brief moment. He can't see past her sunglasses but he gets the feeling she's rolling her eyes at him.

"Just checking to see if you were still paying attention."

"Different symptoms, general public, yadda yadda." He recites and Sue frowns a little.

"This is serious, Johnny."

"I know, I know." He holds up his hands in the universal sign for peace, which unfortunately means he has to lift his head to do so. He lets it loll back against the headrest with a sigh and Sue darts another quick look at him.

"You seem tired." Johnny makes a noncommittal sound and lets his eyes close. A nap sounds pretty good right about now. "Still feeling sick?"

"It's just a cold." He mutters, scowling.

"I've been feeling under the weather too." Sue admits. "Maybe I'm getting whatever you caught."

They pull into the lane leading up to the mansion and through the heavy, wrought iron gates. The large, green lawns are littered with students. A few of them turn to watch them drive by, but for the most part they're ignored. A small child hangs from a large oak tree, green scales shining in the bright sunlight. He waves as they drive past and Johnny waves back.

Bobby Drake breaks off from a small group gathered around the front doors as they pull up and Sue turns off the engine. He grins, wide and toothy and Johnny scrambles out of the car, suddenly eager to meet his friend half way and pull him into a hug.

"It's good to see you guys." Bobby says, moving to hug Sue next. "Even if it is under these circumstances."

"We'll have to grab Pete and go out some time." Johnny grins, the fatigue from earlier slipping away like a distant memory.

"Definitely."

Together they head up the front steps and the group gathered there watches them go. Johnny recognizes Rogue easily but the others are unfamiliar faces. He catches her eye but winces at the memories it brings back and they both hurry to look away.

"Where's Professor Xavier?" Sue wonders aloud as they're led down one hallway after another of rich, mahogany paneling and carpet so thick it muffles their footsteps. Inside it's cool and Johnny shrugs deeper into his jacket as the persistent chill from earlier returns, cramming his hands in his pockets. They see a few children but for the most part the school is surprisingly empty. Johnny frowns, looking around before realizing that they're being led down back hallways and corridors, away from the rest of the student body.

"He's up in his office. Trying to get a hold of someone." Bobby explains and taps the side of his head to show that in no way are phones involved. "The doors been locked all day; it's all kind of smoke and mirrors, which is weird for the Professor, but when we sent Kitty up to check on him, he stopped her before she could make it into the room. Told her he was fine and sent her back down to us."

Johnny's steps falter as a sudden wash of _happysafefine_ drifts over him and he blinks, shaking a little because he sure as hell didn't feel that way a minute ago.

Next to him Sue looks just as shaken, brushing her long hair out of her face with a hesitant smile.

"What the hell was that?" Johnny demands and Bobby scrubs a hand over his face, shaking off whatever it was, faster than the two siblings.

"Every so often the Professor sends that out, just to the immediate area, so we know he's still alright. Storm thinks it pops up whenever someone is _really_ starting to worry."

"That just makes me worry more." Johnny mutters and Bobby huffs out a little laugh that really means, _me too_.

::

"So." Johnny says as Bobby leads him through a confusing maze of corridors, probably with the sole intent to get him lost and then leave him for dead. Sue is down in the main lab with Storm and Bobby had easily volunteered to take Johnny down to where they were keeping one of the other patients- separate from all the others.

Bobby glances over at him; eyebrow arched and replies with,

"So?"

"What's the story here?" Johnny asks and Bobby looks away but not before Johnny catches a glimpse of _something_ across his face.

"I mean- I get why Storm is working on this, and Sue. I'm here as a glorified lab assistant," he waves the scanner Sue had handed him before they had parted ("Point and click," she had said and Johnny had protested that Reed was dumb-ing down his inventions for Johnny's use. "Do you really want to put out the effort to learn how these things actually work?" His sister had asked in that knowing voice that he kind of hated, but he had to grudgingly admit that, no, he did not.).

"What I'm trying to figure out," he continues and Bobby pauses outside of a door with a keypad on the wall next to it, before rapidly typing in a string of numbers before Johnny can take them in. The door opens to a set of stairs leading deep down into the bowels of the school. "Is why instead of working on screening the students or liasing with the other teams, which Wolverine is doing a crap job of doing by the way since we _just found out_, you're knee deep in all of this and look like you haven't slept in _days_."

And it's true, Bobby looks pale, paler than normal and his blue eyes are dull with exhaustion.

"There are three confirmed cases here so far," Bobby says and leads the way down the stairs. Johnny bites back the retort that springs forth when it appears that everything he just said is being ignored. But he remains silent and listens, something he's been working on.

"Scott- Cyclops, a younger student named Cassandra, and a case that literally showed up on our doorstep a couple of nights ago." He pushes through a set of doors, the light glinting off the tiny square windows set in them and for a moment, green eyes stare back at him. Johnny clenches his jaw and hastens after his friend, ignoring the gaze on the back of his neck. Through the doors is a long white corridor and along the corridor are,

"Cells?" Johnny blinks in surprise. Eight cells in a neat row, empty as far as he can see. They may have some sort of clear barrier instead of bars, but he knew a cell when he saw it. It brings back unpleasant memories and he takes a reflexive step back before reminding himself that he's being ridiculous- this is the Xavier school, no one's out to get him here (as far as he knows); then again up until a moment ago, he hadn't even considered that a school promoting peace and equality could _have_ cells underneath it.

"Containment rooms." Bobby grimaces a little. "I didn't know about them until a couple of weeks ago. They don't really get used."

"So you guys don't go all bad guy on unsuspecting children and lock them up against their will." Johnny can't help but shooting back.

"When they do get used, it's only to keep the mutant, the person from hurting themselves or others, and it's never permanent." Bobby defends. Johnny clamps his mouth shut and stops himself from egging his friend on, for demanding answers about _who could be so dangerous_, especially when he has a few ideas. Bobby waits a moment, probably to see if he's going to reply with some smart assed comeback, and then looks surprised when he realizes he isn't. Well, Johnny thinks somewhat smugly, he has done some growing up too.

"The case that showed up at our doorstep got moved down here. It wasn't…safe to keep him anywhere else."

Bobby leads the way past the first seven cells and then stops in front of the eighth, and final one. Inside is one of the beds from the infirmary, some medical equipment and a man, around their age.

The man is laid out on the bed, blankets pushed down around his feet and hospital gown soaked with sweat. His bleached hair sticks to his forehead, eyes half open and caught in a fevered dream. He shifts restlessly, weakly, on the mattress- an IV taped to his arm, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

Something about him is irritatingly familiar.

"Do I know him?" He asks and tries to peer closer.

"Yeah," Bobby hesitates. Johnny gives him a pointed look and he continues. "It's John. St John Allerdyce; he used to be my roommate. You met him a couple of times."

Johnny blinks, remembering the scrawny kid with the bad attitude that had stared at Bobby with hearts in his eyes when he thought no one was looking. Johnny had tried to talk to him a few times, when they were all hanging out, but John had been too angry and Johnny had been too, well…, and the conversation had died a spectacular death every time.

And then John had stopped joining them and Bobby had disappeared for awhile and-

"Isn't he a known _mutant terrorist_?" Johnny demands and Bobby winces, scowls and crosses his arms. "You're harbouring a _fugitive_."

"He's locked up," Bobby uncrosses his arms long enough to rap lightly on the clear wall separating them. "He can't get out and he needs help. It's _John_." Bobby's eyes go soft and pleading, pleading for Johnny to understand. Maybe John hadn't been the only one with hearts in his eyes.

"So, what, he just showed up here by himself?"

"Magneto dropped him off."

Johnny honestly isn't sure how to reply to that. The government already doesn't trust Xavier's school and now they're harbouring fugitives? Giving one reason after another to be shut down, or worse.

"Out of the goodness of his heart?" Johnny asks, wry. "He's switching sides, joining your cause? Retiring?"

"The man walks around in a purple cape." Bobby replies, relaxing a little and allowing humour to seep into his voice. "He loves his job."

Johnny turns back to the cell- _containment room_- and studies the man in the bed. He doesn't look much like the man wanted in connection with a series of bombings on anti-mutant buildings, a year ago. He looks small and fragile.

"Alright," he says after a moment. He waves the scanner in his hand and gestures at the cell. "Let's get Sue's readings."

::

It's late by the time they make it back to the Baxter building. The sun has long since set and Johnny's limbs feel like lead, heavy from exhaustion. Sue doesn't look any better, eyes glazed from staring at slide after slide through a microscope, moving like each step is an insurmountable task.

He grips the metal case tighter and somehow they make it to the elevator.

The lab is in chaos as they step out. Reed has stretched himself around the lab and both Hank Pym and Hank McCoy are running around, somehow avoiding the stretched torso and limbs with practiced ease. Tommy is curled up off to the side, somehow asleep through it all and curled in a tiny ball on his bed and, in the center of it all, is Tony Stark.

The bright lights make Tony appear deathly pale with dark bruising around his eyes. He doesn't as much as twitch at the doctors poking and prodding, taking their samples, conferring with one another around him. If not for the gentle rise and fall of his chest Johnny would swear he wasn't alive.

"Reed!" Sue calls out. The three men all pause and turn, taking in the new arrivals.

"Sue." Reed unravels himself from where he's wound around the lab and hurries over with what Johnny would describe as a manic glint in his eyes.

"Shouldn't he be in a hospital?" Johnny watches the still figure, worried. While he had agreed that the Baxter building was probably the best place to help Tony originally, it's hard to believe that with the pale man lying still before them.

"We have everything set up, anything Tony could possibly need and a few extras as precautions." Reed reassures him, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder gently. Johnny nods.

"Do you know what's causing this?" Sue hands over the brief case and Reed secrets it away to some far section of the lab. Johnny assumes either Sue will be working on it or Reed will look over their samples once he gets a chance.

Reed shakes his head, face grim.

"It's almost like his cells are breaking down," Reed explains, going into a long jumble of scientific facts that have Johnny's eyes glazing over even as he tries to understand what his brother in law is saying. He shoots Sue a helpless look and she thankfully takes pity on him.

"It's almost like Extremis is acting up, and has locked down his body."

"That computer has been more trouble than it's worth." Johnny mutters. Sue nods.

"It did help us find you when that Warlock kidnapped you." Reed offers, already distracted by something Hank Pym is showing him. Johnny suppresses a shudder and ruthlessly shoves those memories aside. Sue reaches out and flicks Reed, who aside from sending her a wounded look remains oblivious.

Johnny clears his throat.

"Do you know where Ben is?"

"He offered to make coffee." Pym calls out.

"Coffee?"

"I believe he was feeling frustrated with being unable to help." Reed supplies. Johnny nods, understanding that feeling all too well.

"If you guys don't need me up here, I'm going to go find the big lug."

Reed waves him off and Sue gives him a knowing look. He winks at her and heads back to the elevator, stepping inside. Johnny waits until the doors have closed to sag back against the wall, a wave of dizziness hitting him. He blinks, rubs his hands over his eyes and decides that he really needs to get some sleep. Preferably with Ben.

He opens his eyes and Loki is leaning across from him.

"Again? Really?"

Unlike before where the god was dressed in his regal clothing, Loki is only in a pair of jeans and a green Henley that looks soft to the touch now. Johnny wonders why the change.

"You know," Johnny continues before he can reply. "If you want to confess your undying feelings for me, now would be the time- although I should warn you that I'm going to shoot them down. Brutally."

Loki's lips curl up into what Johnny could almost swear was a smile and he pushes off from the wall, stalking closer. Johnny forces himself upright and stands his ground. His teeth grind together. He can't attack, can't fight no matter how much his body is screaming at him to do so. Fighting in an elevator with a god who can disappear without a moment's notice? Even he knows better.

"You humans are so weak." Loki muses, studying him. Johnny tenses, not liking the direction the conversation is going. "Fragile and selfish and cruel."

"I'm sorry," Johnny blurts out, unable to stop himself. "But have you met yourself?"

Loki's eyes narrow but he doesn't strike out. Johnny doesn't relax just yet.

"I do not understand my brother's fascination in you."

Johnny knows better than to assume Loki means him. He shrugs, pastes on a charming grin and says,

"Must be my fabulous personality."

Loki actually rolls his eyes at this and takes a step back and another until they are on opposite sides of the elevator again.

"You should get that cold look at." The god says and then disappears, leaving Johnny wondering what the hell his life has become.

::

He finds Ben in their kitchen staring at the coffee maker like it has somehow wronged him. Johnny waits in the doorway for a moment, leaning against the wall and just watching as his boyfriend fights with the electronic. Ben grunts and jabs at a button. The coffee maker makes a high pitched whirring sound but otherwise does nothing. He's starting to think they shouldn't have let Reed update it.

"Are you gonna stand there all day Matchstick or are you gonna help me with this?"

Johnny grins and pushes off the wall.

"I was enjoying the view." He admits and slides up behind the older man, wrapping his arms around his waist and peering over his shoulder. "And I have no idea how to work this thing."

Ben sighs and leans back into the embrace.

"Think those eggheads up stairs can survive without caffeine for now?"

Personally Johnny suspects the moment they realize Ben isn't coming back with coffee it will be total anarchy.

"Yeah, they'll be fine." He grins and presses a kiss to the column of Ben's neck. The other man sighs and tilts his head wordlessly asking for more. Johnny is more than happy to oblige; he presses another kiss and another, biting lightly at the tanned skin as he goes. He sucks his earlobe into his mouth, biting down and smirking at the growl it elicits.

Ben turns until their chests are pressed together, hips slotted tight, and kisses him. It's hot and wet and Johnny parts his lips, allowing Ben entrance, moaning. He walks them back until he hits the counter; Ben's hands go to his hips, boosting him up until he's seated, and then steps into the V of his legs. Johnny ducks his head and kisses him again, hands with a white knuckled grip on Ben's biceps. He wraps his legs around the other man's waist and _yes_ Johnny is a _genius._ Ben grinds against him and Johnny breaks the kiss with a gasp as sparks shoot up his spine and fry his brain.

Someone clears their throat from the doorway.

Ben jerks back, startled and Johnny is left sitting on the counter, legs splayed and confused.

Captain America has his eyes carefully averted and face scarlet.

Oh god, Johnny winces, flushed and turning red from embarrassment, Captain America just caught them humping like teenagers- he's never going to live this down.

"Sorry," Steve says, eyes trained on the ceiling. "I didn't mean to interrupt but could someone please direct me to where Tony is?"

Worry and frustration and something heartbreaking slips into his voice and Johnny immediately feels like an ass.

"Yeah, sure." He slides off the counter. Ben catches his hand as he goes to pass, squeezing it and pressing a quick kiss to the palm. It calms Johnny, helps balance him again and he smiles, squeezing Bens hand back.

"Come on." He leads Steve out of the kitchen. "Let's get you upstairs."

::

Peter manages to show up with a much calmer and contrite Matt Murdock shortly after Steve arrives. Reed is multitasking between Tony and Matt with Tommy's scans running in the background. Matt is nothing if not a good patient, doing as asked and not complaining about the battery of tests or about Reeds bedside manners, which tend to be severely lacking.

Tommy wakes up, bored and lethargic, so Johnny and Peter park themselves next to his bed and set about keeping him amused. He's moving in slow motion again, like each movement takes an incredible amount of willpower.

"Do you want me to call the YA?" Peter asks.

Tommy blinks at him for a moment, watching the movement of his mouth. It's like there's a lag there as the words are processed.

"No," he finally says. It's almost painful to watch as he shakes his head, a slow back and forth motion. "I've been texting them, they're coming by tomorrow."

Johnny nods and makes a note to let Sue know.

"Hey." Matt joins them. Johnny is impressed with how well he can navigate Reed's lab and sneak up on them until he remembers exactly who Matt is.

"So what did the doc say?" Pete twists in his chair, tone light but expression worried.

"Clean bill of health." The red head frowns. "Nothing to explain my,"

"Mood swing?" Johnny supplies. Matt's lips thin.

"Right. So I'm free to go."

Peter climbs to his feet, clapping Johnny on the shoulder and bumping fists with Tommy.

"I'll get you home."

They leave, followed closely by Hank Pym- if Johnny were Pym he wouldn't want to leave Wasp waiting either, great woman but terrifying. Cap has a seat pulled up next to Tony's bed, out of the way of Reed but close enough to hold his hand. It looks like he's settled in for the long haul. Tommy drifts off again and Johnny is left with nothing to do.

"Get some sleep." Sue man handles him out of his chair as his eyes start to droop. "You look like you're about to fall over."

Which, with the way he's feeling, could happen. He doesn't complain as she leads him to the elevator but snags her wrist as she tries to leave him there.

"You need to get some rest too. You look like shit."

"Thanks." Sue replies, voice dry. "That's what every girl wants to hear."

"What can I say?" Johnny gives her a tired smile. "I'm charming."

"You're something alright." She agrees. Sue runs a tired hand through her hair and glances back at Reed who is still knee deep in everything and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.

"You know nothing is going to get him to sleep right now."

"I know," she agrees. "I'll turn in, in a bit."

Johnny leaves her in the lab, too tired to drag her out of there himself.

::

He lets himself into Ben's room, stumbling his way through the dark. He strips off his shirt and pants, climbing into the warm bed and sinking into the mattress with a happy sigh. Ben is already in bed; he rolls over, snaking an arm around his waist and pulling him back against his body. He's a wall of heat behind Johnny and he burrows back into the warmth, fighting away the chill that's been following him around all day.

"Jesus," Ben huffs out tightening his hold. "You're cold."

Johnny hums and presses his toes to Bens calves, twining their legs together.

"That's playing dirty Torch."

Johnny would come up with a witty remark but he's too busy trying not to fall asleep just yet, fighting to keep his eyes open even as he pulls Ben's arm tighter around himself like an extra blanket. Ben seems to sense this and brushes a soft kiss against the back of his neck and oh- Johnny would _love_ to continue what they started earlier, but he's definitely not up for it.

"Get some sleep." Ben's voice is quiet, hoarse like there's something he's holding back. Johnny makes a questioning sound.

"It can wait." Ben reassures him. He decides to take his word for it and a moment later he's asleep.

::

The alarm is blaring when he wakes.

Midmorning sun is streaming in through the partially open blinds. Ben is already on his feet, grabbing his pants and shifting until he's the rocky Thing again.

Johnny blinks, mind muddled as he tries to piece together what is happening.

"Come on Torch, up." Ben tosses him his uniform.

"What's going on?" Johnny moves on autopilot, dressing. Ben crosses over to him, reaching out with one rocky hand to flatten down Johnny's bed head, a fond expression on his face.

"There's an attack happening downtown." Sue appears in their doorway. There are dark circles under her eyes and her skin is pale- it doesn't look like she's slept. "The Avengers are busy in Jersey so it's just us."

"I thought I told you to get some sleep?" Johnny asks pointedly as they file out into the hall.

"I could say the same about you." Sue snaps. She winces at Johnny's flinch. "Sorry. I went to bed shortly after you; guess I didn't sleep very well."

Johnny nods, accepting the apology easily. Even though he slept through the night he still feels like he didn't get enough rest.

"Is Reed coming?" Ben asks as they head for the car. Sue shakes her head.

"He's on standby in case we need the help."

Great, Johnny thinks moodily, not only are they down a person- they don't even know exactly what they're heading into. Ben catches his look, slinging an arm over his shoulders and grinning at him.

"Ah, come on Matchstick- it'll be a breeze." He winks and Johnny finds himself grinning back, bad mood gone.

Yeah, he thinks, it'll be fine. Maybe it'll even be mostly cleared up by the time they get there.

::

There are cars on fire.

Windows are smashed, graffiti sprayed across walls- people are screaming, shouting, crying. The police are fighting to keep everything under control but they're fighting a losing battle.

Johnny blasts one doombot back but another takes its place and then another. The crowd surges forwards and its complete chaos in the streets. Ben is across the road taking on the other half of the robots while Sue tries to keep the angered and hysterical crowd back.

Johnny's exhausted already and they have a long way to go before they get anything under control.

A woman breaks through the barricade past Sue. She has a crowbar in one hand and she's waving it over her head. She can't be much older than Sue herself. Johnny tries to keep her back, careful not to touch her with his flames but she keeps coming- he tries to lift up but then there's a doombot behind him. He blasts it, melts it down, but doesn't move in time as the woman reaches out and grabs him.

Her scream is like an electric shock. It jolts through him, makes him sick, makes his head rush and he flames off because _she won't let go_ but it's already too late and the smell of burnt flesh makes him gag and shudder and want to crawl away and hide.

She stumbles back, clutching her hand. Johnny can see the flesh blistering and broken from where he stands. He reaches out, helpless, sick but she jerks back, eyes wild. The yelling changes- the roars become people screaming at him, telling him to stay back, not to touch them. They call him a menace, a monster.

Sue stares, wide eyed and shocked before she moves, scooping up the woman in a bubble and carrying her to the paramedics.

Nausea rolls in his stomach. He stumbles, disoriented and unsure.

"Johnny!" Ben roars over the crowd. He latches onto the sound like a drowning man, latches onto Ben's voice. He turns towards the other man to find him already charging his way.

Johnny opens his mouth to call back.

He doesn't see the doombot until it's too late.


End file.
